Over 110 people were killed and more than 3,000 injured today when a powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest China’s Sichuan province, causing massive destruction in a region that suffered a catastrophic quake in 2008.
The quake hit Lushan county of Ya’an city in southwest China’s Sichuan province at 8:02 am local time, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).
The epicentre of the earthquake was reported to be at a depth of 13 km and was monitored at 30.3 degrees north latitude and 103.0 degrees east longitude.
At least 113 people were killed and over 3,000 others injured, China’s State-run CCTV reported, while officials said the number of injured people could be over a thousand.
This is the second major quake to hit Sichuan in five years.
Over 90,000 people were killed in the 8-magnitude quake in 2008. The province is located in the quake prone Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Sichuan is located close to the Tibet.
Pictures on the State-run CCTV showed extensive damage to buildings.
The quake was strongly felt by residents in Sichuan’s capital city of Chengdu, which is about 140 km from Ya’an. The airport in Chengdu was closed as it suffered damage.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered rescuing troops in the quake-hit zone to make “every possible effort.”